I once lived in a town where the most successful realtor had a huge home with its own golf course (just six holes, but still …). Incongruously to me, this estate sat bang on the side of a main highway, enduring vehicle noise day and night. Apparently I wasn’t the only person who wondered why anyone with that much money would choose such a public location. When a curious acquaintance asked him, he had the perfect (and IMHO perfectly awful) answer: “What’s the point of being successful if nobody can see that you are?” My idea of successful householding is…
Category: Mind and Spirit
Spirituality, moods, feelings, and thinking free to live free.
Great movie! The Martian
Boy, have you guys seen The Martian? Holy cats!
I watched it on DVD a few days ago and was glad I didn’t see it on a big screen or, heaven forbid, in 3D. I’d have had a heart attack and not be here to write this at you.
Might as well talk about it, now that it’s legal
Last night I did something unusual.
I’ve been very busy the last couple of weeks, but yesterday I managed to wind up all the big deadline-y things. I enjoyed the work, but finishing felt great. The sun was shining, too, after torrential rains earlier in the week and more wetness in the forecast as far as the weatherperson’s eye can see.
Following an afternoon dog walk, I mixed myself a big Bloody Mary, vaped a bowl of Strawberry Cough, and took a long soak in my happily renewed clawfoot tub. Glorious.
It’s been busy — but mundane — in the 10 days since I suspended home Internet. Mundane is good. I like mundane. In fact, the virtues of downright boredom are sadly unappreciated in this busy-busy day.
Well, both. Saturday I woke up without Internet. And I’m looking at going ‘Netless for six months. Although I suspended service mostly to economize, I was both looking forward to ‘Netless peace and feeling nervous about cutting back my means of livelihood. Since waking up that first morning I haven’t really worried about the earning-a-living part. That’s manageable. I’ve done it before, after all. But you know what really drove me crazy? It was the day of the Nevada Democratic caucuses and I couldn’t play political junkie. I have only one potential means of getting news: NPR on a clock…
I was going to post this yesterday before home Internet disappeared. But have I mentioned it was a crazy week? So, belatedly, the library’s wifi system and I present today’s links: “Why I left Islam and now help others who are doing the same.” Learning to become resiliant (even if the trendiest publications are so over resiliance). Charles Koch agrees with Bernie Sanders Modern-day Milgram shows … well, no very big surprise. But speaking of following orders, what the hell kind of government would do this — or even think of ordering thugs to do such a thing??? (Another look…
The precariat. It’s apparently the social class I’ve belonged to nearly all my adult life. In the growing American class war, it is a growing class. The precariat: Those who freelance or otherwise work without traditional benefits or even minimal assurances of security. Those who live precariously.
Meet Twitter’s new thought police. Incredible (but not surprising in this anti-free speech day) that a company that lives or dies on the quality of its public forum of ideas would do this. Your brain: it may work better in winter. Now my brain, on the other hand … Bernie-ites! You want socialism? Here’s socialism. “Media Matters Not.” The big “progressive watchdog” goes after the little old Zelman Partisans, distorting all the way. Bear Bussjaeger says thanks. Narcissism. And speaking of which: Hillary. (This is actually pretty funny.) The Robin Hood of science is pulling scientific papers from behind paywalls…
I’ll tell you right off that nothing dramatic happened. But it was interesting. I’ve been working my way up to making my quarterly stop at the town liquor store. Today was the day for me to buy my Bloody Mary vodka. But as I pulled up at the curb in Old Blue, a black-clad, hooded young man wearing a backpack stepped inside the shop. Something about him caused my hackles to rise. I nearly drove off. Then I thought about Deana (not her real name), who owns the pocket-sized liquor store. A young woman in there all alone. I got…
I finally finished a good first draft of that cannabis article and got it sent off to 10 people so they could check the parts about them and offer corrections on anything else they spot. Already heard back from three. Not a single change requested or goof noted. That’s unusual. It won’t hold for all 10, but very nice start. The interviewees range from a police chief to a couple whose medical dispensary was destroyed by the DEA. And here they are, all in harmony, even as they come from such different perspectives. I simply can’t stress enough what a…